Glossary
iTV (interactive Television)
A catch-all word used to describe digital TV viewers’ ability to interact with the TV, for services including home banking, home shopping, advertiser and programme information.
Impacts
An impact is one person’s viewing of one commercial spot. They are aggregated to assess the performance of TV channels in reaching target audiences.
Impulse Response
Simple call to action overlay on the screen, whereby the viewer can press the red button to request a brochure, call-back, sample or further information from an advertiser during an interactive ad.
Index
The efficiency of a particular time period/programme/ad break in reaching a certain sub-category audience, in relation to a main audience valued at 100.
IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)
The delivery of digital television and other audio and video services over high speed broadband connections.
Microsite
Similar to an impulse response ad, it offers an interactive overlay with the TV screen still shown quarter screen. This is used for information, data-capture, call-back and branding.
Multichannel Homes
Homes that receive more than the 5 analogue terrestrial channels.
OTS
Opportunity to see an advertisement.
Page Impression
Advertising currency recording the serving of a web or DTV page to an individual user.
Pay-TV
TV service bought by subscription rather than the licence fee.
Pay-per-view
Payment for specific programmes as opposed to subscription for a whole channel or group of channels.
Penetration
The percentage of all homes which subscribe to either satellite or cable TV; or, the percentage of cable homes passed which actually subscribe.
PVR (Personal Video Recorders)
TV technology allowing impulsive manipulation of TV programmes including recording and instant replay, e.g. Virgin Media’s V+ box, and Sky+.
Profile
Composition of audience showing percentage of the total accounted for by each subdemographic, e.g.: age group.
Ratecard
Published airtime costs, often including a range of incentives, for example volume or expenditure.
Rating
see TVR.
Reach (coverage)
The proportion of an audience who have watched a channel or seen an ad campaign.
Response Rate
The number of respondents to an i-ad as a percentage of those who saw it.
Shufflecast/Staggercast
An additional channel showing identical content to its parent channel at a later time (usually +1 hour).
Simulcast
Identical output being shown simultaneously on different channels or media.
Spot
An individual occurrence of a commercial.
Sub-Categories, Sub-Demographic Groups
The division of the main category audience or population (of individuals/adults/ men/women / children / housewives), usually by age and/or social grade.
Terrestrial Viewing
Analogue terrestrial viewing to any of the following channels: BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 (including GMTV), Channel 4 (including S4C) and Five.
TiVo
A company behind PVR technology, allowing impulsive playback of broadcast programmes.
TVR (Television Rating, also known as GRP - Gross Rating Point)
The currency of the TV industry, which measures the popularity of a programme, daypart, commercial break or advertisement, by comparing the audience to the population as a whole. 1TVR = 1% of the potential audience (universe).
UGC (User-Generated Content)
Content that is produced by viewers/internet users as opposed to broadcasters and commissioned production companies.
Universe
The total number of a target audience who receive a particular channel or TV platform.
VOD (Video-On-Demand)
A service that allows viewers to select a programme from a menu, and watch it immediately. VOD variants: sVOD – Subscription VOD; nVOD – NearVOD, ie with a short time delay.